{lisa}
As they entered Armia's room, lisa gasped softly.
[This is...] She raised a brow. [Not what I was expecting.]
Pink.
That was all she could see, all around her. She'd stepped into a pink and fluffy abyss, with plush pillows, a carpeted floor, and stuffed animals scattered across the room.
lisa looked up at the woman and then back at everything around her.
[Is this really Armia's room?] lisa thought. [She didn't accidentally take to her little sister's room, or sothing, did she?]
There was one thing that hinted at this actually being Armia's room, and that was how everything in the room was oversized. From the enormous bed to the floor-length mirror and the spacious closet.
It made sense, given Armia's towering stature, but it only added to the surreal feeling of being in such a... unexpectedly feminine space.
Armia cleared her throat, drawing lisa's attention back to her.
"Let's sit down and get to work," she said, gesturing to the bed.
lisa nodded, gingerly taking a seat on the plush comforter. She sank into the soft mattress and yelped, fearing she was going to hit the floor with how soft it was.
[Ohhhh fuck, this is comfy.]
"So," Armia began, settling down beside her, "I think our first step should be to do so research on the spell creation process. We need to make sure we understand the fundantals before we start brainstorming ideas."
lisa perked up, a smile spreading across her face.
"Oh, I'm actually pretty familiar with the process already," she said eagerly. "I've even made a few spells of my own before."
Armia blinked, staring at lisa in disbelief.
"What?"
For a mont, they just looked at each other.
"I-It's true," lisa insisted, her tail swishing behind her. "It's not that hard. Once I figured out how it worked my curiosity got the better of now and then and... Yeah, I've made so spells.
"B..."
Armia opened her mouth, looking like she was about to say sothing along the lines of "bullsh-", but she caught herself.
"I find that... difficult to believe," she said instead, her tone more asured. "Spell creation is a complex and delicate art. It takes years of study and practice to master."
Just as lisa was about to respond, a knock at the door interrupted their conversation.
Armia sighed, rising from the bed.
"That'll be Darien, to be certain," she muttered. "Wait here, I'll deal with him."
She strode out of the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
Left alone, lisa's curiosity got the better of her.
She stood, her eyes drawn to Armia's closet. Sothing colorful was peeking out from behind the partially closed door, and lisa couldn't resist the urge to investigate.
Carefully, she pulled the door open, her eyes widening at the sight that greeted her.
[Holy shit...]
Armia's closet was filled with the most feminine clothing lisa had ever seen.
Delicate dresses, flowing skirts, and soft, silky blouses in every shade of pink and gold imaginable. Though, off to the side, were a few trousers and shirts that looked like stuff that could fit Armia's deanor more, in lisa's opinion.
[Wow,] lisa thought, reaching out to touch a particularly beautiful sundress. [I never would have guessed Armia had a side like this.]
The sound of the door opening made lisa jump, and she quickly shut the closet, spinning around to face Armia.
The darian girl raised an eyebrow, her eyes flicking from lisa to the closet and back again.
"Find anything interesting?" she asked with a subtle glare.
lisa flushed, her cheeks burning with embarrassnt at being caught snooping.
"I... I'm sorry," she stamred, "I didn't an to pry. I just saw sothing and I got curious and..."
She trailed off, biting her lip as she waited for Armia's reaction.
Armia sighed.
"It's fine," she said, though her tone suggested it was anything but. "Let's just... focus on the project, okay?"
lisa nodded eagerly, relieved to have been let off the hook so easily.
"Right, of course."
---
{Armia}
Armia sighed, her tail, a lot bigger and thicker than lisa's, swishing behind her as she tried to push aside her annoyance at lisa's snooping.
Curiosity got the better of her as she thought of lisa's earlier comnt and she said:
"So..." Armia settled back down on the bed, "what exactly did you an when you said you've created spells before?"
lisa's eyes lit up, and she sat down next to Armia, her earlier embarrassnt seemingly forgotten in a flash.
"Yes! Yes, yes. Well, you see," she began, her hands gesturing animatedly as she spoke, "incantations and spellsigns all follow certain patterns. These patterns can be divided into different categories based on their effects and the type of magic they draw from. Activators, modifiers, and so on."
Armia raised an eyebrow but remained silent, allowing lisa to continue.
"By mixing and matching these categories in specific ways," lisa explained, "you can create entirely new spells with unique effects. It's all about understanding the underlying structure and how the different components interact with each other."
Armia couldn't help but be intrigued by lisa's explanation, even as a part of her remained skeptical.
It sounded plausible in theory, but when she'd been training, preparing for the academy, her instructors had been adamant about how spell crafting was a long, complicated process. Sothing many took years to master and others never did.
She just couldn't believe this. But, well, there was no harm in entertaining it, she supposed.
"Alright," she said, deciding to humor lisa for the mont, "why don't you show one of these spells you've supposedly created?"
lisa grinned, bouncing slightly on the bed in her excitent.
"Sure! Watch this."
She held out her hand, palm facing upward, and spoke in a clear, confident voice:
"Glacies, radix, crescere!"
A soft blue glow emanated from her palm, and Armia watched in astonishnt as a small, icy plant sprouted from the floor in front of them.
[What?]
Its delicate, crystalline leaves glittered in the light, and a thin layer of frost coated the carpet around it.
Armia instinctively pulled back, her eyes wide with surprise.
She had never seen a spell quite like this before, and the ease with which lisa had cast it was impressive.
But she quickly schooled her features, not wanting to give lisa the satisfaction of seeing her amazent.
"That's... interesting," she said, her tone carefully neutral. "But I have no way of knowing if you actually created that spell yourself or if you simply learned it from soone else."
lisa's smile faltered slightly, but she didn't back down.
"I understand your skepticism," she said, "but I really did create that spell on my own. I can prove it to you."
Armia raised an eyebrow, a challenge in her eyes.
"Oh? And how do you propose to do that?"
"By creating a new spell, right here, right now," lisa said, her voice filled with determination. "You can watch go through the entire process, from start to finish. That way, you'll know for certain that it's my own work."
Armia blinked, taken aback by lisa's boldness.
She had expected the nim girl to back down, to admit that she had been exaggerating her abilities. But instead, lisa went and proposed this test herself?
"Very well," Armia said, trying to mask her surprise with a nonchalant shrug. "If you think you can do it, then by all ans, go ahead."
"Okay," lisa clapped her hands. "Give three spellsigns and the incantations that go with them. In writing, preferably."
Armia rummaged through her desk, pulling out a few sheets of parchnt.
She quickly jotted down three of her favorite Water spells, along with their corresponding incantations and spellsigns. They were relatively simple spells, nothing too impressive, but she figured they would suffice for lisa's little demonstration.
"Here," she said, handing the parchnt to lisa. "These should do."
lisa took the sheets eagerly, her eyes scanning over the information. Without a word, she grabbed a quill and so blank parchnt and set to work, her hand flying across the page as she began to write and sketch.
Curiosity getting the better of her, Armia leaned over lisa's shoulder, trying to make sense of what the nim girl was doing. But as she watched lisa work, she found herself completely lost.
The spellsigns looked like nothing more than random squiggles and lines to her, and the incantations lisa was scribbling down seed like utter gibberish.
[How in the world is this supposed to create a spell?] Armia thought, her brow furrowing in confusion.
As if sensing Armia's intense gaze, lisa glanced up, with a little smile.
Armia flinched.
lisa reached up, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her pointed ear, her red eyes sparkling as she took them back to the parchnt on her lap.
Armia felt her breath catch in her throat, and she quickly leaned back, putting so distance between herself and lisa.
Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she couldn't quite understand why.
[What is wrong with ?]
It was then that she noticed lisa's scent. A subtle, sweet fragrance that reminded Armia of wildflowers and fresh spring rain.
It was intoxicating, and Armia found herself fighting the urge to lean in closer, to breathe in more of that alluring aroma.
Shaking her head, Armia forced herself to focus on the task at hand.
lisa was still working diligently, her tongue poking out slightly as she concentrated on her writing.
After what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a few minutes, lisa set down her quill and looked up at Armia, a triumphant grin on her face.
"Done," she announced, holding up the parchnt for Armia to see.
Armia took the sheet, her eyes widening as she took in the intricate spellsign and the words beneath it. Yep, she could confidently say she had no idea what this spell was or what it would do, if it could even work.
lisa stood, taking a deep breath as she prepared to cast the spell. Armia found herself holding her own breath, her heart racing with anticipation.
"Aqua, lux, et ventus!"
As the final word left her lips, a brilliant blue light appeared in lisa's outstretched hand.
As the soft blue glow illuminated lisa's face, Armia found herself completely captivated.
"If my theory is correct," lisa began, her voice soft, "this spell should function similarly to the Illuminate spell. Well, it's... it's basically the sa, but through Water magic."
Armia just stared at the shimring orb, her mind struggling to comprehend what she was witnessing. A spell, crafted from scratch, right before her very eyes.
How!?
"I know it might seem a bit redundant, given that the Illuminate spell already exists. But different mages have different elental affinities," lisa shrugged. "Having a variation of the spell that draws upon a different school of magic could prove valuable for those who struggle with the traditional version, you know?"
Armia barely registered lisa's words, her attention still fixated on the srizing glow.
[She actually did it,] Armia thought, a mixture of awe and disbelief swirling within her. [She created a new spell, just like that. I... But...]
Slowly, Armia tore her gaze away from the spell and looked at lisa.
Really looked at her, for the first ti, maybe. Gone was the timid, unassuming nim girl she had thought lisa to be. In her place stood a confident, brilliant young woman, looking absolutely proud of herself.
[I've underestimated her,] Armia realized, a newfound respect blossoming in her chest. [All this ti, I thought she was just so random nim, soone I'd have to carry through this project. But now...]
Armia's heart raced as a sudden thought struck her.
[She's not just my partner,] Armia thought, a chill running down her spine. [She's the one. My rival. My #1 enemy.]
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